Victorian farmhouse life

I didn’t can any of summer’s bountiful harvests. Instead I preserved some autumn!

I’ve seen this done as “vacation memory jars” on Martha Stewart’s site and decided to save my favorite season.

The contents of the large vintage canning jar includes: a tiny bird’s nest found under my honeysuckle tree and monarch butterfly wings — both discovered after Hurricane Irene. Pine cones, hickory nuts, hydrangea blooms, mini pumpkin, bird’s feather, colored leaves, miniature witch’s hat, broom (fashioned out of pine needles) and the face of a vintage pocket watch. I labeled the jar Autumn and tied it off with raffia and a tag.

I am displaying it alongside fall’s flowers, exquisite white gladiolus and a deep burgundy dahlia, in detailed vintage silver. An outdated day book is used as a table ‘cloth’.

I’m a very health conscious man, and as part of my fitness lifestyle I like to stick to the original four food groups; yes, those would be sugar, fat, caffeine and alcohol (not necessarily in that order). Like most health zealots, Deborah and I want to spread the Truth and in that spirit this post is about one of our passions, our favorite caffeine conveyance: coffee. Now, I’m not talking about the swill served up at Staryucks, or the blight on humanity provided at most restaurants. I’m talking about rich, dark, aromatic, smooth, fresh-ground coffee. Ladies, you don’t want this to be you:

Make your coffee this way and you can’t go wrong:

Start with a coffee press (sometimes called a French press, but as we’re patriotic at the Fairfield House we don’t cotton to such foreign terminology). We use a Bodum 12 cup press. Okay, so Bodum is a Swiss company, but the Swiss are always neutral so I’m giving us a pass here.

For beans, we use the finest and richest available: Dunkin Donuts original whole bean coffee (sadly, I’m not getting paid to say that). Don’t skimp and don’t ever buy pre-ground coffee or you will suffer an eternity in purgatory. Perhaps that was a little extreme. Let’s just say that there is no comparison between fresh ground coffee and coffee that was ground in the distant past, perhaps sometime between the ice ages.

Since you’ll be showing excellent sense and an aversion to suffering, you’ll need a coffee grinder. You can spend as much or as little on a coffee grinder as you want, but at the end of the day they all turn coffee beans into little tiny pieces. I won’t waste your time discussing all the nuances of mills and burr grinders. We use a simple Kitchen Aid grinder because they seem to be bullet proof and the key bits come off for easy dishwashing. Also, it’s big; big enough to hold the one cup measure of beans we use for each pot of coffee (have I mentioned that we like coffee?).

I also use a precise measure to grind the beans, running the grinder for a fast count of 25; one count for each year of Deborah’s age. Ha, ha. I’m just kidding, that’s not true. Deborah is only 24.

By now you’ve leapt ahead and realized you’ll have to boil enough water to fill that coffee press. Pour the ground beans into the press. For a tasty change of pace you can toss in a teaspoon of cinnamon as well.

Once the water boils, let it set for a moment. Water at a rolling boil is actually a little too hot. Pour the water in on top of the beans and stir it up. Set the press plunger on top and wait. Wait, wait, wait. In fact, wait three to five minutes and press the plunger slowly all the way down, pushing the grounds to the bottom. Enjoy your coffee. Black. The way God intended. Deborah adds cream, which is so very, very wrong; but what can I say–when you’re in love you forgive. Note, we’re talking about cream, which makes it a pardonable offense. Never ever use milk, half and half, or heaven forbid non-dairy creamer. Let’s face it, if you’re getting a significant portion of your dietary fat from coffee, you really need to rethink your dietary choices. The only other thing that belongs in coffee in my view is Irish whiskey (preferably Paddys); that way you can complete two of the four food groups in one go. Just remember that sugar in coffee is the work of the devil and artificial sweeteners are simply not right. That’s all there is to it. Now where did I set my coffee cup down?

A fellow blogger and friend, Stephenie, from Decorating Addiction has recently become an Independent Stella & Dot Stylist.

I am hosting an online Stella & Dot Trunk Show and YOU are invited! If you’ve never bought Stella & Dot before,you’re in for a real treat. Also, everyone that places an order will be entered in a drawing for a door prize!

“The art of being a good guest is to know when to leave.” ~ Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Irene arrived and proved to be a messy house guest. As we were pelted with hard rain and wicked wind gusts, our three sump pumps were overcome and the cellar flooded within an hour. Our hot water heater and furnace are housed down there.

When the sun rose on Sunday our view from the porch was transformed from this to ‘beach front’ property complete with seagulls and sandpipers.

We are now residing on a (temporary) island.

Considering the damages Irene left in her wake locally—a tornado touched down, hundred year old trees were uprooted and the worst news, a young woman lost her life when she was trapped in her car during a flash flood—we are blessed. Besides, Scout enjoys digging for clams.